General Motors updates official statement about Chevrolet Volt in CT fire

While some have been quick to point fingers at the 2011 Chevrolet Volt involved in two separate incidents at the Barkhamsted, CT home of Storm and Dee Connors, General Motors has updated its earlier statement to improve the clarity of the situation. "While the Volt's battery pack sustained damage," says General Motors Global Electric Vehicle Executive Doug Parks, "it was not extensive enough or of the type that would suggest that it caused the fire."

GM experts are working with fire officials in the small town in the Northwest corner of Connecticut to help determine the cause of the blaze that also destroyed a home-built Suzuki Samurai EV that Storm Connors had been chronicling on a blog. General Motors is confident that the engineering and systems in the Chevrolet Volt provide exceptional safety, and the vehicle's involvement in this situation is one of circumstance, merely a damaged vehicle due to its parking spot, and not the root cause of the fire. Full statement posted after the jump.

[Source: General Motors]

Show full PR text

Our engineering experts have inspected the Chevrolet Volt severely damaged in a garage fire in Barkhamsted, CT. We believe the findings indicate the Volt was damaged by the fire, not the cause.

The garage and its contents, including the Volt and a hand-built Suzuki Samurai EV, were heavily damaged in last Thursday's fire.

While the Volt's battery pack sustained damage, it was not extensive enough or of the type that would suggest that it caused the fire. In addition, there is clear evidence based on moderate damage to the cordset and charging system that neither component caused the fire.

The vehicles had been left in the garage for investigators and insurers to review when a second incident occurred earlier today. Smoke was seen coming from the damaged Volt and the fire department responded quickly. We continue to support the department in its investigation, sending our experts back to Connecticut to continue working with fire marshals.

We've spent more than a decade developing the technology which went into Volt. As such, it has a wide range of active and passive safety systems to ensure our customers are protected.

The most important thing to remember is that everyone is safe and fire investigators are working diligently to determine the cause. We'll share more information as it becomes available.